Caltrans Says Sound Wall Isn’t Part Of $1B 405 Freeway Project

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Residents are pushing for a freeway sound wall along the west side of the 114-acre Los Angeles National Cemetery, but California transportation officials say a noise barrier isn’t part of its $1 billion Interstate 405 widening project.

Vietnam veteran Bill Hutton says national cemeteries are sacred sites that should be tranquil. The 63-year-old national senior vice commander for the Military Order of the Purple Heart says vehicle noise from the San Diego Freeway is bothersome.

The Los Angeles Times says Westwood Hills residents have submitted a petition for a sound wall, pinning their hopes on a recent Federal Highway Administration decision that a cemetery with frequent human use can be eligible for noise reduction.

Caltrans is still spending millions of dollars a year “studying” ridiculous tunnel expansions to the 710 freeway under Alhambra and South Pasadena. Extensive underground freeways in one of the most seismically active areas on the planet make no sense. They also still own huge amounts of property in the area for the right-of-way of the above-ground expansion that was cancelled, beautiful houses that sit empty and could be sold to raise funds to build sound walls where desperately needed. My sister’s neighborhood in La Crescenta was refused a sound wall by Caltrans and since the expansion of the 210 freeway, you can’t have a conversation in the yard because of the freeway noise. It’s Caltrans’ responsibility to mitigate the noise pollution of the freeways and they’re wasting or hording huge amounts of funds that they take from us in taxes

People, check out neighborhoods close to a freeway WITH a sound wall. I have a shocking revelation for you… THEY DON’T WORK! They ran sound barriers down both sides of the freeway close to where I live about 3-4 years ago. It is now NOISIER at my house 2 blocks from the freeway than it was before the sound walls went in. I’m guessing the walls cause the noise to resonate and bounce around more. Sorry folks, forget the sound walls. Use that money to expand the freeways and get the cars moving so we get better gas mileage and promote getting these stupid gas prices down to normal!

One of the greatest things about the cemetery monument is that you have the power to personalize these memorials no matter how you want it done. Whether you think that the carved monuments are classic or it is more elegant to have the words engraved instead, you can definitely ask them to do so.